Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: A show of Force has the old champion back on top

Thursday, July 29, 2004 | 9:44 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

By John Force's standards, 2003 was on off year.

Force's run of 10 consecutive NHRA Funny Car championships came to an end last season as then teammate Tony Pedregon captured the title. Even though Force won three races and finished third in points, some observers began wondering if Force's best racing was behind him.

Force heard the talk and has used it to his advantage this season. Fourteen races into the 2004 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season, Force has three victories and once again is perched atop the Funny Car standings.

"You get motivated when you hear people saying that it looks like you can't do it anymore," Force said. "Everybody looks at last year and the fact that I didn't win the championship and they say, 'he's past his prime.'

"They forget that Tony was driving one of my racecars. He got out fast in the points and because he had the best car, he got the most help. That's how you play the game; the car with the best chance to win the championship is going to get the best parts when there aren't enough to go around."

Force, 55, earned his 112th career Funny Car victory last weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., and now has won at least three races in 15 consecutive seasons. Force, a 12-time NHRA champion, said he has no plans of letting up.

"I never get tired of winning," Force said. "That's what the sponsors pay us for. After all the success he's had, (crew chief Austin) Coil still hates to lose. And so do I."

Force takes a 93-point lead over Del Worsham into this weekend's Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. -- an event Force has won six times in his career.

THE DOMINATOR: Greg Anderson wondered aloud last fall how he ever would be able to top his 2003 season, in which he won a record 12 races and captured his first NHRA Pro Stock championship.

With nine races remaining in the 2004 season, Anderson is poised to rewrite the Pro Stock record book for the second year in a row. Anderson earned his 11th Pro Stock victory of the year last weekend in Washington and is one win shy of matching his own NHRA record.

"Everyone's been talking about records and I try not to let myself think about it too much because it's almost unbelievable to me," Anderson said after earning his 27th career victory. "But now we're at 11 wins and I guess I need to focus on that stuff because I just can't believe I'll ever get a chance at history like this ever again.

"I need to do it this year."

Sound familiar?

WESTERN SWEEP: This weekend's NHRA event at Infineon Raceway marks the third and final stop on the traditional "Western Swing" and only one driver -- Anderson -- has an opportunity to sweep all three races.

Anderson would join Larry Dixon, Joe Amato, Cory McClenathan and Force as the only drivers in NHRA history to sweep the "Western Swing" races at Bandimere Speedway (Morrison, Colo.), Pacific Raceways and Infineon Raceway.

MAKING A MOVE: In the Top Fuel category, Tony Schumacher earned his fifth victory of the season in Washington and extended his lead in the standings to 110 points over Doug Kalitta and 136 over Brandon Bernstein. Both Bernstein and Kalitta suffered first-round losses last weekend.

AT THE STRIP: The Pacific Street Car Association will take over The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday and Saturday for the Calvert Racing PSCA Summer Nationals.

Spectator gates open at noon both days; racing starts at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday.